Quiet Stories is an Auckland based video game developer, dedicated to telling interactive stories and tackling New Zealand's youth mental health problem. However there is one thing we care about more than making games, and that's playing games! Every week on this blog we share podcasts, videos and articles where we celebrate, analyse and interview other incredibly talented developers in the industry. So for an abundance of gaming content check out Quiet Stories on Twitter (OurQuietStories) or on YouTube and Facebook (Quiet Stories).

Quiet Stories’ Top 25 Games of Last Generation (PlayStation 3 / Xbox 360)

This month marks the five year anniversary since the launch of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and so every week we’ll be releasing an article that celebrates the games of previous generations. This week we look back upon the greatest games of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 (in our opinion).

25. Spec Ops: The Line

Spec Ops is a game haunted by it’s terrible name. Surprisingly it isn’t a terrible military game, but actually one of the most well written narratives of a generation.

24. Grand Theft Auto 5

GTA 5 is a masterclass in world building, and deserves a place on any organisations top 25 list. It did little to change the series, and yet merely with a new coat of paint continues to top charts 5 years after release.

23. Limbo

Limbo is one of the reasons that the independent games scene exists today. It’s simple premise, but haunting visuals told so much, without a single word.

22. Resistance 3

With the popularity of Battlefield and Call of Duty, few developers were brave enough to avoid a modern military setting last generation. So many were understandably skeptical when the developer behind the kid friendly Ratchet and Clank created a terrifying and unique FPS set in the 1950’s… with aliens.

21. Max Payne 3

Originally a series developed by Remedy, Rockstar took over the reigns for Max Payne 3 and added a level of polish and cinematography that few games have accomplished.

20. State of Decay

State of Decay ignored the many zombie games focused on eviscerating hordes in the goriest fashion possible, and instead honed in on the art of simply surviving. Never have I played a game where strolling down the road to scavenge some food felt so perilous.

19. Bioshock: Infinite

Infinite stands alongside Half Life 2, as one of the greatest first person shooters of all time. Not only was combat fast paced and riveting, but Booker and Elizabeth’s relationship is one of the most important in all of gaming.

18. The Sly Collection

All three of the original games; The Thievius Raccoonus, Band of Thieves and Honor Among Thieves. Remastered in beautiful HD glory.

17. The Wolf Among Us

Telltale found the golden goose with The Walking Dead, and somehow they managed to replicate that quality in a game based on a comic book about the big bad wolf. Yes I know it sounds ludicrous.

16. The Jak and Daxter Collection

Arguably the best trilogy on PS2 and some of Naughty Dog’s best work, all three of the original games look best (even compared to the PS4 versions) on PlayStation 3.

15. South Park: The Stick of Truth

Somehow Obsidian, the creators of Fallout: New Vegas and Knights of the Old Republic 2 did it again and created a fantastic RPG, faithful to the source material.

14. Far Cry 3

Far Cry 3 is arguably the best first person shooter of the last generation. It toted a massive open world, with animals to hunt, bases to annihilate and the cherry on top, one of the most well written villains in all of gaming, Vas.

13. Saints Row the Third

Some might criticize us for putting a GTA knock off higher on the list than GTA itself, but even if the series roots were inspired by Rockstar’s magnum opus, The Third brought a level of insanity to the open world genre, never seen before.

12. L.A. Noire

L.A. Noire wasn’t a massive commercial success, but it tried things few games even attempted. From facial capture, to telling a thrilling detective story, to recreating Los Angeles just after the war. This game took risks, and they paid off.

11. Hitman: Absolution

For many Absolution is one of the worst Hitman games, but for us, it was a playground of spectacle and opportunity.

10. Journey

Just cracking our top 10 is Journey, one of the most emotional multiplayer experiences ever. This is the game that began the conversation over whether games should be viewed as art.

9. Heavy Rain

David Cage and Quantic Dream are very hit or miss with their cinematic style of game design, but most can agree that Heavy Rain is their best work, and was far ahead of its time.

8. The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim

Skyrim is the game that catapulted Bethesda into the mainstream spotlight. It’s world is dense, brimming with lore and has been turned upside down with mods in the years that have followed.

7. Alan Wake

Alan Wake is the haunting action-horror series developed by Remedy. With it’s unique mechanics and story, this dev proved that you don’t have to play as a soldier to create great action.

6. Mass Effect 2

Mass Effect 2 is a great RPG and a good action game. It places at number 6 however, for making us care about NPC’s as if they were real companions.

5. Sleeping Dogs

Just cracking the top 5 is Sleeping Dogs. A game very similar to GTA, but superior to it thanks to a gripping crime drama, and cinematic fist fights.

4. The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series

Moving, emotional and life changing. These are the words used to describe a game that took a mid tier developer to new heights.

3. Infamous 2

The greatest super hero game of all time, Infamous 2 is a sandbox of fun. With various decisions to make on the way you”l also have to decide whether to take the route of the hero or the villain.

2. The Last of Us

The Last of Us isn’t just a game, it’s art, an experience, a step forward for gaming in so many ways.

1. Red Dead Redemption

This is not only the game we believe to be the greatest game of last generation, but also the greatest game of all time. Before the hype of Red Dead 2, this game showed many of us the scope of what gaming could mean.

2 thoughts on “Quiet Stories’ Top 25 Games of Last Generation (PlayStation 3 / Xbox 360)”

I’m not sure how I’d even rank last generation with the amount of amazing games I played, but Skyrim, Mass Effect 2, and Bioshock Infinite all rank way up there. I may use this top 25 as a bucket list of sorts to play the ones I missed, because there’s a lot of great games on here I keep meaning to play (like Far Cry 3).